[Evaluation and validation of a test of psychological distress in a general population in french Quebec].

Psychological distress scales used in epidemiologic surveys usually show high construct validity. The content validation however is less convincing since these scales rest on lists of psychiatric symptoms which are hypothesized as the very content of a psychological distress. This study presents the results of the construct and criterion validation of a new Psychological Distress Manifestations Measure Scale (PDMMS) founded on an initial list of manifestations derived from an original content validation in a general population. Twenty-three items are grouped in four oblique factors with Cronbach's alpha ranging between 0.81 and 0.89. High scores on the scale are correlated with psychoactive drugs consumption, visits to health professionals and self-evaluations of psychological health.